FLA

Pottery found at Spirit Cave, Thailand, has been claimed as among the earliest ceramics in the world - a radiocarbon date of 7500 BP being obtained from associated charcoal. However radiocarbon dating of organic resin found on some of the sherds gave a date of around 3000 BP. This is another example of improved precision in dating by pin-pointing the context and using AMS. The authors describe how it was done and assess its validity

This paper seeks to build a chronology for the prehistoric period and the early historic period of central Thailand. Sixteen ceramic assemblages from 14 prehistoric and early historic archaeological sites in the Pa Sak River valley (of central Thailand) were examined using an attribute-based seriation method. Body sherds were included in the study and the attributes selected for this study are those of surface-treatment attributes. Correspondence analysis was used to seriate the 16 ceramic assemblages. Findings from this study suggest that surface-treatment attributes are temporally sensitive. The proposed chronology is thus based primarily on results of correspondence analysis of surface treatment. The final arrangement of the ceramic assemblages corresponds closely to broad archaeological periods proposed previously by Southeast Asian archaeologists. The results of correspondence analysis, however, provide a finer-scaled chronology for the study area. This research thus contributes to a better understanding of chronological development in the Central Plain of Thailand in general and in the Pa Sak River valley in particular. The research shows the significance and efficacy of attribute-based seriation and correspondence analysis as an exploratory multivariate method in the chronological placement of archaeological assemblages in Thailand and, by extension, in Southeast Asia. KEYWORDS: Southeast Asia, central Thailand, Pa Sak River valley, prehistoric and early historic periods, ceramic seriation, correspondence analysis. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Part of the enormous importance of the Spirit Cave pottery lies in the early date (7500BP) implied by radiocarbon dates from charcoal associated with some of the sherds. This was challenged by Lampert et al. who directly dated one Spirit Cave sherd from its resin to 3000 BP (Antiquity 77: 126-133). But here Joyce White argues that the stratigraphic context and typology of the dated sherd do not provide a valid basis to support a revision of dating for the earliest sherds. A response from Lampert et al. follows. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] Keywords: Spirit Cave, ceramics, resin, AMS dating.